How Jenny Slate and Nasim Pedrad Will Change the Face of Saturday Night Live

It was recently announced that comediennes Jenny Slate and Nasim Pedrad have been picked up for the 35th season of influential sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live. Leaks and rumors had abounded for the two weeks previous.

The selections of Slate and Pedrad confirm a trend displayed over the show's past few seasons-- SNL is becoming younger and, particularly with the addition of Pedrad, decidedly more Obama-era.

Jenny Slate, who is only 27 (even the iconically juvenile Andy Samberg is aged 31) has previously worked with a comedy troupe called Gabe and Jenny and, more recently, has portrayed a recurring character (also named Jenny) on SNL cast member Jimmy Fallon's faux soap opera 7th Floor West. She has also performed on Important Things with Demetri Martin. She is a New York City native.

Nasim Pedrad, on the other hand, was raised on the west coast and is the first Saturday Night Live player to have been born in Iran. There are only four other SNL cast members born outside of the North American continent. Pedrad has participated in a diverse array of comedic and theatrical programs.

Slate's prior work suggests that she will tend to fill straight (wo)man roles during her time on Saturday Night Live, while it seems more likely that Pedrad's presence will emulate that of the relentlessly weird Kristen Wiig.

The inclusion of two new female cast members will bring the gender ratio of the show closer to 1:1 than it has been at any other point of its 35-year history.

Saturday Night Live commences its 35th season on September 26th.